Code: Memories
by Undeadmonkey8
Summary: Cameron Hopper is a normal kid with normal hobbies. Video games, building robots, and oh yeah, saving the world from Xana alongside the rest of the Lyoko Warriors. One of whom is a perfect copy of his sister who went missing ten years ago. Something out there must be messing with his head, too, because now she's his cousin. No pressure. Sequel to Code: Cameron. HIATUS
1. New Order

**I do not own Code Lyoko**

**Code: Memory**

**New Order**

Cameron sat cross legged on one of the Desert Sector's rocky spires. Odd and Ulrich were racing through the canyons to his left, and he watched Yumi and Aelita riding around in front of him, getting used to the Overwing. An alarmed shout caught his attention as Odd crashed the Overboard, and Cameron chuckled as the cat boy landed, "Trouble Odd?" He pushed himself off of the spire, rolling and popping to his feet as he reached the ground.

Odd pushed himself to his feet and dusted himself off, "The Overboard could use a little work." He glanced around, "By the way, where's your ride?"

Cameron shrugged, "I still have a little work to do on it. Should have it ready by tomorrow though."

Yumi and Aelita arrived as Ulrich came off of a rocky ramp, landing smoothly and coming around in an arc, "What happened Odd, you miss a step?"

Odd frowned, "I'd like to see you on an Overboard Ulrich."

The samurai shrugged, "I guess surfing isn't my thing."

Aelita shook her head and hopped off of the Overwing as it vanished, "Are you alright Odd?"

The boy shrugged, "I'm fine." He raised his voice and looked at the sky, "There's still some work to be done on the Overboard Jeremie!"

The genius' voice came drifting down from the sky, "Maybe it's the _rider_ who needs the work Odd." There was a slight pause, "By the way, it looks like Xana has finally realized you guys are there. Something's coming your way! Hmm, strange, I can't see what it is."

The group turned, looking around for the attack. Yumi frowned, "Hey . . . do any of you recognize that?"

The rest of the group followed her gaze, and Cameron frowned, "Nope." His coin caught the light as it flipped, coming down as a seven-foot long, pointy weapon of stabbyness. Ulrich's sword came free of his sheath as Odd prepared his own weapons, and Cameron spun the Javelin, dropping into a slight crouch. Ulrich took a step forward, "On my signal."

Yumi crouched, "I'll go first."  
Odd and Cameron exchanged glances, "We'll keep it busy."

The monster dropped onto a knee and held its two front legs towards them, exposing twin laser cannons. Aelita immediately turned and started to run as Jeremie directed her to a tower, and Ulrich readied his saber, "Now!"

As if it had been waiting for an invitation, the monster opened fire, blasting at the group. The lasers ran into Ulrich's sword as Yumi flipped around the creature, pulling out a fan and hurling it at the thing. For a moment, it appeared the fight was over, but then a laser blast sent the fan spinning away. Odd ran for one of the rock spires as Cameron darted forward, jumping over the monster and stabbing down at its eye. It ducked away at the last moment and clubbed him with one of its legs, sending the boy sprawling in the dust. Cameron rolled away as it began shooting at him, then pushed himself to his feet as Odd grabbed its attention from the top of his spire. It fired at the rock Odd was perched on, which quickly began to sway and fall, forcing the other three to distract the monster while the cat boy recovered from his unexpected dive. Ulrich yelped as a set of lasers hit him in the chest, sending him flying back and dissolving into virtual particles. Jeremie's voice echoed over the plain, alerting them to the virtualization of their vehicles. Odd and Yumi instantly jumped onto theirs, and Cameron jumped onto the Overwing behind Yumi, "Fly over it and I'll jump on its back!"

Yumi nodded affirmative, but was distracted just long enough for the monster to fire a concentrated blast at them, destroying the Overwing and sending its two riders tumbling to the ground. Cameron groaned and flipped to his feet, jumping to the side as the monster fired at him. His javelin spun, deflecting a couple of lasers, and he threw himself into a backflip, arching through the air and landing in a somewhat ungraceful crouch, "What is this thing made of, adamantium?" He muttered. Then he dove forward under a barrage of lasers and came up on a knee, drawing an arm back and hurling his javelin while the monster was distracted with Odd.

Cameron's weapon flew straight at the monster, just as Yumi's fan curved down in a deadly arc.

The side of Cameron's mouth rose in a smirk, _Checkmate._

Then the monster ducked under Yumi's fan. and the weapons hit each other, sending both to the ground. Cameron's eyes widened as the monster blasted Odd, then caught Yumi as she was cartwheeling towards cover. He started to jump behind a rock, but a barrage of lasers slammed into his chest, and he saw little blue squares trail behind him as he flew over the desert landscape.

()()()()

Three loud hisses sounded from the scanners as the Lyoko Warriors were devirtualized. As the scanner doors opened, the three stumbled out, gasping for breath. Cameron's chest throbbed where he'd been shot as they rose to the lab, "Well . . . that was embarrassing. One monster, four of us, and we lose without even hitting it."

The doors hissed open, and the three people in the Lab looked towards them. Jeremie frowned, "You guys alright? That monster looked tough."

Cameron sighed, "No Jeremie, we let it devirtualize us because we felt like coming home and we feel fine."He smiled to take the sting out of the sarcasm as the group shared a laugh, and Cameron sat down on the Holosphere dome, "Ah well, it's been a while since things were this interesting on Lyoko. If Xana wants to mix things up for us, I say let him. It will keep things fun."

Yumi shook her head, "Your definition of 'fun' is a little different from ours, Cameron."

The boy shrugged, and Aelita stood up, "Well, fun or not, I should get back to Lyoko." She said, "If Xana is going to start changing the rules, then we need to be ready."

Jeremie glanced at the rest of the group, "Should we tell her?"

Cameron snorted and leaned back against the holosphere, "I'm not even sure why you already haven't."

Yumi and the others grinned, "Of course we should! Why keep news like that secret?"

Aelita looked from one member of the gang to another, "What? Tell me what?"

Jeremie cleared his throat and swiveled back to his computer, "Well, over the last few weeks, I've been working almost nonstop on your antivirus, as well as the vehicles. _But_, I've also made time to work on something else."

Odd decided to intervene before Jeremie went into Techno-babble the way he had when he'd explained it to the rest of the group,

"A superscanner, way more accurate than the last one."

Jeremie nodded, "One that will instantly detect any tower that Xana activates. And it alerts me the moment it finds one. Which means you don't have to stay on Lyoko anymore!"

Aelita's eyes went wide, "So you mean I-I'm going to live . . ."

Ulrich smiled, "Here, on Earth with us. We've already got everything set up and you're going to be enrolled in school with us."

Cameron smiled, "You'll be going as my cousin this time, so there might be a slightly higher standard than when people thought you were related to Odd. But honestly, I'm worried that you're going to raise the bar for me!"

Aelita laughed, "I'll try not to show you up."

()()()()

Jim led the way down the hallway to Aelita's room, talking nonstop about different rules of the school. Jeremie leaned back slightly as they followed at a safe distance, "Did Jim say all the same stuff when he showed you guys to your rooms?"

Odd and Cameron shared a brief laugh, "Oh totally," The brunett said, "When he showed me to your room, he was a bit more laid back, because he expected you to be able to keep me in line. But I heard him when he was showing Odd around, and man, he didn't stop talking one second." Cameron glanced at Ulrich, "Almost like he didn't expect you to know the rules Ulrich."

Ulrich shrugged, "No comment."

Jim made a sudden stop, and opened a door to his left, "And this is your room. It's not very big, but you'll like it here, uh . . ."

Aelita took the hint, "Stones. Aelita Stones. Like the rock group. I'm Cameron's cousin from Canada."

Jim raised an eyebrow and glanced back at the boy, "Okay Ms. Stones, well, breakfast is at seven am, and dinner is at seven pm. It's against the rules to be in your room between eight am and four-thirty pm. You can ask your friends, Stern, Dellarobia and Belpois about the rest of the rules." He turned towards the four boys, "That is assuming they can remember them!"

He walked out slowly, "Hopper, a word for a moment please?"

Cameron followed Jim to the end of the hallway, "Problem Jim?"

Jim jerked a thumb back towards Aelita's room, "I thought your family was all gone? Where'd she come from, and why didn't you just go to live with her?"

Cameron smiled thinly, "Thank you Jim, for the reminder. Aelita was orphaned around the same time I was, according to the letter she arrived with. Since neither of us had parents to speak of, it wasn't exactly as if either government was about to send us to live with the other's family. She's my cousin on my mother's side, since my original father's last name was Jones, but Franz had my last name changed to Hopper. Don't ask me why he didn't leave it, because I don't know. It may have to do with the fact that I was so young that I don't remember their faces, much less their names. She showed up a month or two ago with a letter from the Canadian government telling me who she was and one from her foster parents. I don't know what happened to them and frankly, I don't care. I also don't really get why it was so important that they sent her over here, but she's the only family I have and I don't plan on losing her. Any more questions? Or can I go now?"

Jim blinked twice, then stepped aside, "Uh, sure, go ahead. Does the principal know about this?"

Cameron nodded, "Of course he does, he asked me pretty much the same question when she showed up to enroll here. Now, can I go please?"

Jim waved a hand, and Cameron hurried down the hallway to help his 'cousin' unpack. He waited until he was almost to her door before he let the triumphant smirk cross his face.

Jeremie glanced over from where he was setting up the computer they'd bought her, "What did Jim want?"

Cameron waved an idle hand and set to work, "Oh not much. Mainly he wanted to know why an orphan suddenly had a cousin. I gave him the story we agreed on."

There was a thump and then a few muffled words as Jeremie tried to nod and hit his head on the bottom of Aelita's desk, "That's good. Hey Odd, could you tell me which wire I'm pulling on?"

Odd glanced at it, "The red one."

A slight sigh, "If that's all you can tell me, this is gonna take a long time."

()()()()

Eventually, they managed to finish unpacking Aelita's things, many of which were the result of a shopping trip in which Yumi and Jeremie 'borrowed' their parent's credit cards. According to Jeremie, his father had been quite willing to help out. Yumi had needed to enlist Hiroki's help, and so was now doomed to doing his homework for a month and a half. Her computer was humming on her desk, she'd borrowed a few posters from Yumi to make it look like she had a life, and while her closet was not nearly as full as Sissi's, she did have plenty of clothes to choose from. The group made their way towards the lunchroom, and Odd tried to describe the food on the menu for the day to Aelita. Cameron shook his head and tuned the hair spike out, "So, Aelita, you ready for the field trip?"

Aelita frowned slightly, "Uh, field trip? What field trip?"

Cameron chuckled, "I forgot, you haven't been around a lot." He shook his head, "The students in our grade are going on a field trip to the forest, to take a draw pictures of plants we find there. We can work solo or in pairs, and I think Jeremie wanted to work with you." He glanced sideways at her, "You might want to check with him, just in case."

Aelita turned slightly red, then her face cleared, "Who are you working with?"

Cameron laughed, "No one. I'm gonna work by myself on this one, I find that company in the forest isn't really my style." He shrugged, "Of course, if you feel like talking to someone besides Jeremie, you can come find me." He grinned, "Though from your . . . particular, feelings about him, I doubt that you'll get tired of being alone with him."

Aelita looked confused, "What do you mean?"

Cameron cleared his throat and looked away with a slight smile, "Oh, nothing."

They reached the vending machines, and the others came to a stop around them. A familiar head poked its way out of Odd's bag to sniff the world, and Odd grabbed the bag, trying to force him back in, "Kiwi! Stop wiggling around! A few more minutes and you can run around to your heart's content!"

Cameron snickered slightly, "Sure he won't run right into the road Odd?"

The boy under the spike of hair glared at him, "Kiwi isn't stupid Cameron. He knows where he shouldn't go."

"Is that why he goes into Jim's room every chance he gets?"

Odd gave a short huff and crossed his arms, looking around for the missing members of their group, "Where did Ulrich and Yumi go?"

Cameron didn't remark on the change in topic, "I don't know about Yumi, but Ulrich was right behind us a minute ago."

Aelita turned away from Jeremie to point back towards the dorms, "I think Ulrich is waiting for Yumi under the arches. Something he wanted to talk to her about?"

Cameron and Odd exchanged glances, "If Ulrich is ready to admit, then I won't stop him." Cameron said, leaning back against the wall and looking to the sky.

Odd turned towards the arches, "I'm gonna go check on them, it's almost time to go."

As he hurried off, Ms. Hertz called for order so she could take roll. Once everyone was accounted for, the class set off for the forest, amid mutters and quiet conversations. Cameron walked alongside Aelita and Jeremie, though tuned out of their _fascinating_ conversation about tree growth. He pulled his sketchbook out and began to draw up a picture of the forest and some of the plants he knew would be within. Getting the common ones out of the way would give him more time to get to the ones that were less obvious and more difficult to find.

The class moved into the forest, and Cameron quickly lost himself among the many trails branching through the trees. He could still catch occasional glimpses through the trees of the other students, but for the most part he was alone.

Eventually, he found himself sketching a picture of a white flower he hadn't seen in the forest before. He snapped a picture of the flower in the clearing for proof, then stood, adding a finishing touch to the shading on one of the leaves. His book snapped shut in his hand, and he glanced around, spotting a flash of pink a few yards away through the trees.

Aelita gasped and spun as his hand fell onto her shoulder, and Cameron grinned, "Sorry to startle you. Where's Jeremie?"

Aelita cleared her throat and smiled, "Oh, he had to run back and grab his computer. Not much point in having a superscan if it isn't with him to alert him."

Cameron nodded, "Of course." He glanced to the notebook in her hand, "Did you guys get a lot of drawings done?"

Aelita nodded, "Oh yeah. I think we might have the high score, to be honest. We ran out of room in the sketchbook."

Cameron raised an eyebrow, "Well then I'd better get to work. Can't have my cousin outdo me on her first day can I?" They shared a brief laugh as he started for the edge of the trail, "See ya."

Aelita gave a small wave, "See you."

()()()()

A few minutes later, a shrill scream resulted in a long, dark mark being scratched across the picture Cameron was currently working on. His head snapped towards the source, and he was on his feet and moving towards it in a heartbeat. He almost tripped as he came out onto the crossroads, and he noticed Aelita's sketchbook lying abandoned on the ground. His eyes darted around, catching a glimpse of pink between the trees, and he sprinted after it, ducking under branches and (occasionally) spitting out leaves when one caught him in the face.

When he finally caught up to Aelita, she was standing as if frozen, outside of a house that he knew very well. Aelita moved towards the Hermitage gate as if in a trance, and he hurried to catch her arm, "Aelita? Aelita!" He shook her arm hard, forcing her to turn and look at him.

Aelita blinked, "Cameron? What are you doing here?" She glanced around, "And where is here?"

Cameron frowned, "Firstly, what happened to you? I heard you scream, and then you ran hard to get here. What happened?"

Aelita shook her head, "I . . . I thought I saw a wolf, and then it was chasing me, so I ran."

Cameron frowned, "Wolves don't live in this park Aelita. Whatever you saw, it was probably just a result of Xana's virus." He put his hands on her shoulders, "This isn't Lyoko. You're safe here."

Aelita closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. Her eyes flicked back open and she smiled, "Thank you Cameron." She turned towards the Hermitage, "So, do you know what this house is? If the wolf that chased me here was really a figment of my imagination caused by Xana, then he wants me here for something, right?"

Cameron drew back slightly, "Well, yes, and that's exactly why we should get out of here and back to the others. We don't want to walk into a trap."

Aelita started into the house anyway, "It's strange, I feel . . . I feel like I know this house from somewhere." She turned back just in time to see the look of shock spread across Cameron's face before he hurriedly hid it beneath his normal poker face, "Cameron? Are you alright?"

Cameron nodded, "Yeah . . . yeah I'm fine. I just," sighing, he moved forwards to stand next to her at the gate, "This is my house." He pulled a key out of his pocket and unlocked the gate, leading her inside, "Alright, if Xana has something planned for us in here, then we'd best figure out what it is and get it over with quickly, then head to the factory."

He led the way up the stairs and into the house, holding the door before closing it behind her as she stepped inside after him. Aelita looked around, "This is your house? I thought you stayed in Jeremie's room?"

Cameron nodded, "I do, I only inherited the Hermitage after I arrived at Kadic. Well, I suppose I technically inherited it ten years ago, but I only found the will leaving it to me a few months back." He swept an arm towards the house, "Well? You're the one Xana wants here Aelita. Where do you want to go?"

As if in a trance, Aelita started towards the living room. The old fireplace and piano sat together on the far side of the room, and Aelita swept a finger along a bookshelf next to her, "You take pretty good care of this place, don't you?"

Cameron nodded, "Yeah. I was coming here long before I knew that it was mine, just to keep it in living conditions. Dust the place off, tidy up some, I got the water and electricity working a little after I learned it was mine, and started to really work on cleaning things up." He gestured to the room, "When I first started coming back, I was only about seven years old. You wouldn't recognize it now, things were scattered everywhere. Books, papers, bits of debris, I barely knew where to start." He sighed, "Now then, where to next?"

Aelita turned towards him and opened her mouth to speak, but instead her eyes widened and a scream tore from her lips as blackness overcame Cameron's vision.

()()()()

A hand shaking his shoulder made Cameron groan. His eyes fluttered open and a stabbing pain assaulted his head, "Wha- what's going on?"

Ulrich, Odd and Yumi gradually became clearer as his vision slowly came into focus. He sat bolt upright and looked around, "What happened? Where's Aelita?"

Odd blinked, "We were about to ask you that. We found Aelita's journal on the crossroads near yours, and Kiwi followed her scent from there. Your turn."

Cameron placed a hand against his head, "I . . . I heard Aelita scream, ran to where I'd last seen her, spotted her through the trees and followed her here. She asked about the Hermitage, and so I started to show her around. Then . . . nothing. I think she screamed again, but I was already going down."

The other three exchanged looks, then Odd helped Cameron to his feet, "Alright, well, if you know the place, do you know where she might be? Where Xana might have put her to trap us?"

A bolt of dread shot through Cameron, and he nodded, "Oh yeah, I think I know where she is." He led the way quickly downstairs, stumbling slightly on the last step. Odd caught his shoulder before he hit the ground, and Cameron's head snapped up as Ulrich and Yumi stepped past him. He and Odd followed quickly after them, and Cameron leaned against the doorframe as the two of them gingerly helped Aelita up. The pink haired girl looked at them, "No! Xana, he - It's a trap!"

Cameron felt the door start to slide forwards, and his hands wrapped around it. Odd's foot slammed against it and it pushed the blond back against the other side of the frame, "Get Aelita out!" he cried, straining against the door. Cameron heaved back on the door, trying to help Odd keep it open long enough for their friends to get out.

As Aelita crawled through the gap, the door seemed to grow heavier and push harder against them. Ulrich yanked his head back from where he'd been trying to get through as Odd gave a quick 'sorry' and fell away from the door, tumbling to the floor next to Aelita. Cameron snatched his hands away from the edge of the door as it slammed shut, then grabbed the handle with Odd and Aelita, trying to pull the door open again. A sharp _click_ told him that it was locked, and he grudgingly drew away, "We have to go. That door isn't opening unless we return to the past." He started to move away, "I'll go and cut the power, then meet you at the factory. It should buy us some time."

Odd and Aelita nodded and headed for the nearest door while Cameron ran up the stairs, ducking under the bits of furniture and the occasional knife that Xana threw at him. He threw open a door and slipped into a closet, slamming the door behind him, then gave a yelp as a knife punched partway through the solid wood. He reached up and flipped on a light, then moved cautiously past the quivering edge of metal and opening the power panel on the wall. His hands moved among the wires, disconnecting one here, yanking one out of place there, then reached into his pocket to pull out a pocketknife. He looked down at the edged metal for a moment, then sighed, "Oh, this isn't gonna feel good."

He plucked a final wire up from where is was resting among the rest. He set the knife carefully against the rubber casing, then screwed his eyes shut and yanked the knife sharply through it. The resulting jolt of electricity was more intense than it should have been, probably thanks to Xana. Cameron was thrown to the other side of the closet, slicing his upper arm on the edge of the knife embedded in the door. A howl of pain leapt from his mouth and he clamped an arm over the wound, then pushed the door to the closet open and moved quickly to the kitchen. He snatched a towel from one of the drawers and tied it tightly around his arm, hissing as a jolt of pain lanced through his arm.

Cameron hurried quickly outside, heading around the house to the sewer passage near the back door. It was already open, and he could hear Aelita and Odd's footsteps as he hurried down the stairs. He ran after them, calling for them to wait up as he rounded a corner.

The two of them turned back towards him, and Aelita's eyes widened as she spotted the towel around his arm, "What happened?"

Cameron waved it off, "What, this? I've had worse, it's just a little cut. I should have bought some time for Ulrich and Yumi by cutting the house's power, but Xana will find a way around it sooner or later. So, we should get going, yeah?"

The others nodded, and the three of them ran for the Factory.

()()()()

Jeremie turned in the chair as the elevator doors opened, and his eyebrow rose as he took in their beleaguered state, "What happened?"

Odd raised a hand, "Cameron introduced his arm to a knife, but that's not our problem. If we don't hurry, Ulrich and Yumi are gonna end up like Dim Sum!*"

Jeremie nodded as Aelita pushed the button to descend to the scanners.

The trio descended to the Scanner room, and Odd glanced over at Cameron, "So, your vehicle, what's it like?"

Cameron smiled slightly, "You'll see in a moment. I finished it last night, so it should be ready to go." The doors hissed open and they hurried towards the scanners. Cameron stepped into one and turned to face the room as the others found their own scanners, "See you on Lyoko."

The doors closed.

_Transfer._

The Scanner doors closed and the machine began to hum.

_Scanner._

The interior began to glow and Cameron let his eyes fall shut as something pulled at his senses.

_Virtualization!_

Cameron was yanked between two points infinitely far from each other.

()()()()

Cold air assaulted Cameron as the three of them appeared over the Ice Sector, and he landed in a crouch alongside Odd as Aelita learned that she would need to take a few courses in falling and landing correctly. Cameron helped the girl to her feet, then looked to the sky, "Jeremie! Our rides ready yet?"

In a response, three wireframes appeared in front of them, and the Overwing and Overboard materialized. A moment later, Jeremie spoke, "One second Cameron, yours is taking a little longer to load."

Cameron nodded, then tapped his foot slightly. Aelita rubbed her arms and shivered, "No smells, no wind, I miss the real world already."

Cameron shrugged, "You'll get used to it Aelita. Let's just finish this up and get back home before our feet turn to popsicles."

"Cameron. Your vehicle is ready." Jeremie's voice echoed over the expanse of ice as Cameron's ride finally finished materializing.

A flat disk several inches thick hovered above the ice. Four feet in diameter, the center was a small black dot, surrounded by a wider ring of gradually lightening grey. Around the diameter of the disk was a band of red a few inches across. Cameron grinned, "Odd, Aelita, I give you; The OverRide."

Odd raised an eyebrow, "So, is it a combination of the OverBoard and OverWing then?"

Cameron frowned and his face turned slightly red, "Of course not, I didn't even see your vehicles before you guys did." He stepped onto the OverRide, and his heels clicked slightly as a magnetic pull anchored him to it, "Besides, there are some perks to designing your own vehicle that Jeremie didn't have time to load onto yours. You'll see in a bit. Now, shall we be off?"

The other two nodded, and jumped aboard their own vehicles. Aelita glanced back, "I think your vehicle looks cool Cameron, for what its worth."

Cameron smiled, "Thanks!"  
()()()()

The three of them came to a stop at a icy ledge in front of the tower, and Odd peered over it for a moment. Then he dropped back down to them, "Two of the Tarantulas. No way that we can get through two of those monsters when the four of us couldn't beat one."

Cameron's lips pursed, "Which is exactly why Xana chose to leave two of them guarding the tower." He said. Then he pulled his coin out and used its edge to scratch a bit of a map on the ice. He leaned back after a moment, "Okay, so we're here, behind this ledge," he tapped a line on the map, "and we have two tarantulas over here, near the tower." He tapped a small collection of dots, "And all we have to do is distract them long enough for Aelita to get to the tower. So, any ideas? Because I've got nothing."

Aelita raised a hand, "Maybe I can lure one of them away? Lead them towards you and the two of you can ambush it?"

Cameron glanced at Odd, and the cat boy nodded, "Sound idea Aelita. One minor modification. Odd goes to ambush whichever one you lure away. If there's one left at the tower, I'll fight it. If both go after you, I'll come around from behind and hit them from there. A pretty simple flanking maneuver, but it's served armies in the past, it should work for us now."

Aelita and Odd nodded, and Odd jumped back on the OverBoard, speeding off into the distance. Aelita and Cameron watched him go, then Cameron turned to the girl, "Be careful, okay?" He grinned, "I would hate to have to tell Delmas that my cousin got devirtualized in an alternate reality and so she can't attend classes."

Aelita smiled, then nodded as she jumped onto the OverWing, "Got it." She rose above the ledge and shot towards the tower, making a smooth turn towards the edge of the plateau where Odd lay in wait for anything the could lure away.

For a moment, it appeared as though neither tarantula would go after her, but then the two monsters turned towards each other, nodded, and the one nearest Aelita began to give chase. Cameron grinned and jumped back onto the OverRide, his coin flashing in the air before falling back down in the form of an elegant bow. His quiver materialized on his back and he nocked an arrow before leaning forward slightly to command his vehicle forwards.

The tarantula noticed him quickly, sitting back on its hind legs and raising its cannons to fire at him. The OverRide responded to the slight leans Cameron made, swerving smoothly out of the path of the lasers. Cameron leaned back, ordering the disk into the air before peaking and shooting towards the ground. He raised his bow and drew the arrow back to his jaw, firing and sweeping around the Tarantula before making a quick arc back to fire a second arrow. The tarantula ducked under the shots and turned to fire at him again, forcing him to abandon a third shot to avoid losing his vehicle. He rose back into the air as the tarantula charged a pair of shots, then twisted so that the OverRide was between him and the tarantula. His hand slammed into the grey disk as the tarantula fired, "Guardian!"

His silver aura blossomed around his body before flowing down his arm and spreading out across the disk. The volley of lasers made the OverRide tilt dangerously, but it did not vanish, allowing him to regain control. Almost as soon as he had righted the disk, he grunted as a laser caught him in the chest, knocking him off of his vehicle and sending him crashing to the ground. Jeremie's voice echoed across the icy field, "Cameron, you just lost forty life points! Two more shots and you're done!"

Cameron groaned and pushed himself back to his feet, "What gives?! Xana can't have made a normal laser that powerful!"  
He could almost _hear_ Jeremie rolling his eyes, "Yeah well, he didn't expect you to fall fifty feet after getting hit. That's what cost you the extra twenty."

Cameron sighed and threw himself into the air, landing safely on the OverRide as it zoomed underneath him. His feet re-anchored themselves as he raced over the ice towards his opponent, and the grip on his bow tightened as he spotted Aelita running for the tower, "Fine then, I'll just have to see if it's working properly." His right foot pivoted, and a slight click was audible as blades popped out of the sides of the OverRide and began to spin, turning the disk into a giant saw. Cameron knelt on the vehicle as he neared the Tarantula in front of the tower, leaning from side to side to direct his vehicle's path. When he was close enough, he disengaged the magnetic lock holding him onto the OverRide and threw himself into the air, landing hard on the ice as the OverRide careened towards the Tarantula.

Cameron grinned, but his triumphant look faded when the OverRide slammed into the ground right in front of the tarantula. His mouth hung open for a moment, then, "What?! How did I miss?!" He drew another arrow and fired, diving to the side as the Tarantula returned a volley of lasers. His next arrow caught the tarantula in the chest, and the one after that slammed into one of its laser cannons, rendering it useless. Cameron blinked as he saw the Tarantula's leg blow up, "Huh. Okay, need to keep that in mind for future- Ow!"

The last word was drawn out by a second laser hitting him in the chest, knocking him on his butt and making him lose his grip on his bow. He pushed himself halfway up, then sighed as another laser raced across the ice towards him, "Hypercounter!"

The laser approached, and then froze as the world turned slightly gray. Cameron shot forward, swerving around the frozen laser as he reached for a pair of arrows, flipping them around in his hands to hold them just behind the tips. He jumped up as he neared the tarantula, then came down on its back, twisting and slamming the arrows into the target on its face. He threw himself off of the monster before it blew up, skidding to a halt as the world returned to normal.

His chest heaved as he sucked in air, and he tilted his head back, breathing out a stream of reddish-gold energy. He caught his breath and made an elegant bow, sweeping an arm towards the Tower as Aelita drew near, "Your tower awaits Princess."

Aelita smiled and hurried towards the tower, vanishing inside. A yawn escaped him and he let himself flop back onto the ice, making a snow angel. A whirring sound caught his attention and he looked over to see Odd fly up. The boy tilted his head quizzically at Cameron, "Whatcha doing?"

Cameron shrugged and went back to making his snow angel, "Waiting to go back to Earth. I'm bored already." He let loose a long sigh, "Fighting monsters is fun, but waiting just sucks."

"You have a deranged sense of 'fun' Cameron. Has anyone ever told you that?"

Cameron nodded, "Several times, over the last few weeks especially. And once or twelve times over the last couple of days in particular." He pushed himself to his feet, "Well, if Jeremie isn't going to materialize us, how about we take things into our own hands? I probably only have about ten life points left."

Odd pointed to the tower, "We can't. Aelita can't be devirtualized, and if we leave, who knows what else might happen?"

"A lot of bad things Odd." Jeremie's voice echoed over the sector, "Sorry, I was bringing Aelita in while you guys were talking. I'll materialize you now. Well, you know what I mean."

Cameron and Odd spoke in unison as Jeremie's voice rolled over Lyoko, "Return to the past now!"

()()()()

Cameron leaned against the pillar as Ms. Hertz graded Sissi's notebook. Aelita and Jeremie had outdone him by a few points to claim a hundred percent, and he was sitting in second at ninety-eight. He glanced over at where Ulrich was waiting for Yumi to finish saying goodbye to William and smirked, "So, did Ulrich spend all day spying on them again? Or did you guys actually manage to work this time?"

Odd shrugged, "Oh, we managed once I dragged him away from Yumi and William. Going back in time didn't change anything there."

Jeremie and Aelita walked up at the same time Ulrich did, and Jeremi pushed his glasses up slightly, "So, I went back to check on that house you guys found, and it seems to be back to normal. Empty, but normal."

Cameron scoffed, "I could have told you that. It's my house after all." He glanced over at Jeremie, "did I forget to mention that?"

Ulrich cleared his throat, "Well, you never showed it to us before, so of course we didn't recognize it."

Aelita glanced away, "It's so weird. The vision of the wolf that chased me there, and then when I was inside, I could hear music, like a piano. It felt . . . it felt like I had been there before, in a dream or something."

Odd leaned forward, "Not to mention the underground passage that you knew about!"

Yumi laughed, "Yet another mystery for us to solve!"

Cameron frowned slightly, "But why would it feel familiar? You've always been on Lyoko, haven't you?" He shook his head, "Whatever, like Yumi said, it's just another mystery for us to solve."

Jeremie cleared his throat and pulled a brightly wrapped package out of his bag, "By the way Aelita, this is for you. It's to keep us one step ahead of Xana." Aelita unwrapped the phone and grinned as Jeremie continued, "We thought pink would suit you."

Odd laughed, "Nice phone! It matches your hair! You'll be just like everyone else now!"

Cameron smiled slightly and leaned back against the pillar, his brow creasing in thought. What did Aelita have to do with the Hermitage? Too many coincidences were surrounding Lyoko, and her. She just _happened_ to look exactly like Franz Hopper's daughter, she just _happened_ to be the same age that Aelita had been when she'd disappeared, and she just _happened _to feel like the Hermitage was familiar. He straightened and said goodbye, heading to his room. There were a few things that he wanted to know, about Lyoko, where it came from, and how the Hoppers were tied into it.

**End of Chapter One**

**So . . . yeah, I hope you liked it! The sequel to Code: Cameron starts now!**

***For people who don't know, Dim Sum is a Cantonese food usually served with tea.**

**Keep Writing, Keep Rocking!**

**Undeadmonkey8**


	2. Uncharted Territory

**I do not own Code Lyoko**

**Code: Memories**

**Chapter Two**

**Unchartered Territory**

Cameron stepped out of the bathrooms, toothbrush and toothpaste sticking out of his robe pocket as he toweled his hair dry. Jeremie, Odd and Ulrich were gathered in the hallway, and Jeremie was talking excitedly.

"I came across a restricted access site. It took me most of the night, but I found a deed signed by a Mr. Franz Hopper! Seems like he's the owner."

Cameron rolled his eyes as he arrived at Jeremie's shoulder, "Which you would have known had you decided to ask me instead of hack into my files. Seriously Jeremie, it took me weeks to set those firewalls up, and you had to go and stick your nose in where you don't belong. You know, one of these days, something is going to bite it. And it won't be Kiwi."

Odd frowned, "Well yeah, but he had a passage into the sewers in his backyard, he must have something to do with Lyoko!"

Jeremie nodded, "Exactly, so I did a search on him, and he was a -"

"Science teacher here at Kadic?" Cameron raised an eyebrow as he cut Jeremie off, "Yes, you could have just asked me. Again. Are you done investigating my father behind my back, or do you plan on looking up my adoption papers as well?"

Jeremie stuttered, "W-well I, I mean you don't really talk about him much, I didn't think that-"

Cameron frowned, "Then don't _think_ about something like this Jeremie, if there's something you want to know, and it concerns me, just ask. If I can't answer it, then _we'll _go and do some research. You know, between friends, there's this whole trust thing that involves being honest and not looking up people's adoptive parents and searching for deeds to their house without telling them first?"

Jeremie turned red and looked down, "Sorry Cameron, I really will ask next time."

Cameron sighed and patted his shoulder, "It's fine, what's done is done. Just ask next time, and maybe you'll be able to sleep for a few hours." He moved past the group, then turned back around, "Plus, now we're even for the time I hacked into your computer to find out about Lyoko." He grinned, then slipped into their room before Jeremie could formulate a reply.

()()()()

A few minutes after Cameron left the others, he heard a series of shouts coming from the boy's bathroom. He yanked a shirt on and stepped back out, and felt his 'good day' vibes go right down the drain as he saw Sissi standing across from Aelita, Odd and Ulrich.

He moved to his 'cousin's side as Sissi finished talking, "I guess she'll just have to adapt. It's a jungle out there."

Odd grinned, "You can say that again! I'm looking at a big baboon right now!"

Cameron rolled his eyes, "I'm pretty sure that baboons are both better looking and have better manners Odd. Maybe a giant leech?"

Sissi turned red and whirled away, stalking angrily down the corridor as Cameron's glare burned holes in her back. He glanced over at Aelita and nudged her shoulder, "Don't mind Sissi, she's just mad because you get to hang out with Ulrich and she can't."

Odd nodded, and turned to head back into the showers, "Sissi's a real brat. I can't believe you actually kissed her once Ulrich."

Ulrich's reply was muffled by the door, and Cameron jerked his head towards the door, "You should probably get going Aelita. I have a few more things to get together, but we'll see you in the courtyard, 'kay?"

Aelita nodded, "Alright."

()()()()

The group assembled in the courtyard, and Jeremie began to talk as Yumi arrived, "So, I did a little research last night on Franz Hopper, got my head chewed off by Cameron this morning for not asking him about his family and subsequently breaking through weeks worth of his firewalls in a few hours, and found out that Franz Hopper was also a teacher here at Kadic!"

Yumi glanced at Cameron, "So, Franz the teacher and Franz the owner of the - no offense - creepy house in the woods are the same person?"

Cameron bristled at the slight on his house, "Hey! It was only creepy because Xana possesed everything in it! It's a perfectly normal house otherwise! And yes, my dad did teach science here at Kadic for a while."

Jeremie nodded, "So, I thought it might be worth our while to go and take a look at the Hermitage. If it's okay with you, Cameron."

Cameron nodded, and Aelita perked up at the thought of something to do, "I'll go with you guys!"

Jeremie shook his head, "Probably not the best idea. You're already in hot water with Jim over the shower thing this morning, if he catches you trying to leave campus, you'll be suspended for sure!"

Aelita deflated slightly, and Odd patted her back, "Don't worry, we'll meet you in the cafeteria as soon as we're done, okay princess?"

Aelita nodded slightly, "Okay."

It was a fairly short walk to the Hermitage when he wasn't using all sorts of side paths to lose possible pursuers like Sissi, or Milly and Tamiya, so it was only a few minutes before he was unlocking the front door to the house. He glanced back at Jeremie, "Alright, you wanted the tour, where do you want to start?"

Jeremie frowned, "How should I know? If Franz had anything to do with Xana, we might find some information about Aelita's virus for a start."

Cameron nodded, "Alright, we should probably start in his study then. If we can't find anything there, we can check his bedroom, and branch out from there."

The others nodded, and Cameron led the way to the office of the house, which had almost as many books as the school library piled inside. He had moved all the books in the house to the study a few months back, and now Cameron lost himself among the shelves, his fingers perusing anything that may have been a journal, or a science notebook where Franz may have written anything down.

Around a quarter of an hour passed before he heard Jeremie, "Hey, guys! I think I might have found something!"

The three boys made their way to Jeremie, who was blowing the dust off of the cover of an old book. Cameron grinned sheepishly at the sight of the dust, "Uh, I never really thought that the books would need dusting when they were on the shelves?"

Jeremie shook his head as Ulrich peered at the book's title, "The . . . tunic wars?"

Cameron leaned over Jeremie's shoulder, "I don't remember that one."

Jeremie sighed, "_Punic_ wars, between the Romans and the Carthagenians?" He raised an eyebrow at their blank looks, "Don't you two remember anything from History? We studied this last -" the group's genius realized just who he was talking to, and sighed, "Never mind. Anyway, a history book amidst physics and who knows how many other science books caught my eye."

Cameron wracked his brain for a moment, "ninety . . . three, other books on that particular shelf I think?" He shrugged as incredulous stares turned his way, "What? Eight shelves, maybe eleven or twelve books per shelf, and minus one for the one Jeremie's holding. Should be pretty close."

Jeremie shook his head and cracked the book open, letting out a whistle as he saw the scribbled annotations, "See all these notes? Franz must have been the one to write them."

Cameron chuckled, "No, Jeremie, I wrote all those." He rolled his eyes as the blond raised an eyebrow at him, "For the love of everything Jeremie, you've known me for a good two years, when will you learn about sarcasm?"

Jeremie looked back at the book, "When I figure out a way to beat Xana."

"So in another what, year?"

"Hopefully it won't take that long."

()()()()

As the four of them headed back for the dorms, Cameron caught a flash of pink out of the corner of his eye. He stopped suddenly, and the other three turned back to look at him. Cameron shook his head, "I think I forgot my keys at the Hermitage, cover for me in class in case I'm not back by then will you?"

He ran back towards the old house, hanging a right when the others were out of sight and heading for the manhole leading to their skateboards. As he clambered down the ladder and jumped the last couple rungs, he let out a tired sigh, as his eyes noted one scooter missing from amidst the rest of the vehicles.

The sound of wheels echoed through the sewer tunnels as Cameron set his skateboard in motion, rolling quickly towards the factory. His features were drawn tight with worry, and he wondered what Aelita might be thinking, headed for the factory the way she was. Several possibilities came to mind, but he decided that he could handle whatever it was without dragging the others into it. If it turned out that she'd learned a tower had activated and they hadn't received warning texts for some reason, then he would send out messages via the supercomputer. If not, he would either bring Aelita back or go to Lyoko and keep her safe until Jeremie and the others arrived.

()()()()

Cameron vaulted into the Computer chair, and his fingers flew across the keyboard. A moment later, Lyoko appeared on the holosphere, and Aelita's marker popped up on the screen. Cameron hit the arm of the chair, "Aelita! What are you doing? Don't you know it's way too dangerous to go to Lyoko by yourself?"

Her voice sounded weary over the speakers, "I'm sorry Cameron, it's just, I wanted some semblance of normality, and to me, the school just isn't that. And I was all alone because none of you showed up in the lunchroom, and then Sissi showed up, and I just couldn't take it any longer."

Cameron sighed, "No, no, don't apologize Aelita, this isn't your fault. We should have been there for you and we weren't. I'm sorry." He zoomed out until he could see a tower, "All right, there's a neutral tower to your northwest. Head over, and I can bring you in." He started to lean back, but a new series of markers caught his eye, "Wait! No! Don't go that way, there are a bunch of Bloks there. Head the opposite direction, I'll program the OverRide and come get you. For now, find a safe place to hide nearby."

Cameron's fingers flew across the screen, and his vehicle popped up, materializing on Lyoko. Another short set of codes sent a warning message to Jeremie, and then he set coordinates to virtualize next to his vehicle, then jumped out of the chair and ran for the scanners. Racing down the ladder, he barely got into his scanner before it closed, let the supercomputer perform the stretchy two-places-at-once feeling that preceded falling onto Lyoko.

()()()()

Cameron snapped his fingers as he fell, and the OverRide slid over a couple feet to catch him. It shot forward as he leaned slightly, and he guided it towards the last place he'd seen Aelita. He raced around a corner and almost ran Aelita over, barely swerving to the side to avoid her. looping back around and stopping next to her, he extended a hand "Sorry about that princess, your carriage awaits."

Aelita jumped up behind him and set her hands on his waist, holding tight as the OverRide shot forward, away from the Bloks behind them.

The two of them weaved between the trees, and Aelita shrieked as Cameron whipped under a branch close enough to feel it brush just above their heads. Cameron laughed as she clung to his waist, "Sorry Princess! Didn't know you don't like roller coasters!"

He spotted a tower through the trees, and started to loop around to head towards it, then jerked to the side to avoid a volley of lasers courtesy of a swarm of Hornets. Cameron gritted his teeth, "using knockoffs of my own robots to smash me isn't nice Xana."

He looped around, speeding away from the swarm. If it were more Bloks, he could have just used Guardian to make a hemisphere in front of them and had Aelita jump into the tower as they went by, but Hornets would just fly right around the shield and devirtualize them both. The OverRide weaved back and forth, racing between trees close enough for some of the hornets tailing them to run into said trees.

The chase progressed slowly, and Cameron gradually lost track of how long it had been since he'd virtualized himself, and had no clue exactly how long Aelita had been on Lyoko. It shouldn't have taken so long for Jeremie and the others to figure out something was wrong and come after them. A laser whistled by his ear, and Aelita cried out as one hit her in the shoulder. Cameron gritted his teeth and spun the OverRide around, leaning back slightly to ensure that it kept going. He gave his coin a bit of a flip and caught it before they could leave it behind, then called back to Aelita, "Turn around and keep going! You need to direct our path!"

Aelita nodded, "I'm right here you know, you don't need to yell in my ears."

Cameron grimaced and whirled the javelin between them and the Hornets, deflecting a volley of lasers, "Oh just make sure we don't run into a tree will you?"

The OverRide tilted slightly, and a tree whipped past, giving Cameron some reason to smile. His smile was wiped from his face as the Hornets chasing them continued to fire, one slipping past his guard and slamming into his shoulder. He tossed the javelin slightly, swapping it for the bow before drawing an arrow and firing into the swarm. The trio of hornets flew out of the path of his arrows, pausing slightly in their attack long enough for him to draw breath.

As the next volley of lasers came in, he let the breath out, "Hypercounter!"

The world froze as the lasers drew near, and Cameron calmly drew an arrow back, loosing and firing again, repeating the action as time crawled past, as if it were a slug dipped in molasses. He let himself smile as he loosed his third arrow, "Too much like Target Practice."

Color returned to the world, and Cameron yelped as the lasers flew past them. One caught him in the knee, causing him to stagger slightly and almost overturn the OverRide. The Hornets exploded, and Aelita glanced back, "You alright?"

Cameron let out a breath of energy and took a moment to add up his probable life points, "Let's see, one shot to the shoulder, another to the knee, about ten points each. Take another ten for HyperCounter, I've probably got around sixty or seventy points left, I'll be fine."

Aelita brought the OverRide down, and Cameron glanced back to see why she was stopping. He blinked in surprise, "Whoa."

An unending expanse of the Digital Void stretched out before them. Cameron let out a long whistle, "I'll give you twenty bucks if you jump." Aelita looked at him in shock, and he raised his hands defensively, "Joking Aelita, just joking."

Aelita looked back at the void with trepidation, "Okay, just had to make sure."

The sound of robotic legs reached their ears, and they whirled, Cameron raising his bow and nocking another arrow. A squad of Bloks came crawling around the corner, saw them, and promptly retreated back around the corner. Cameron frowned and lowered his bow, "Well that was -"

He was cut off as a field of white covered his vision. For a moment, he panicked, then felt Aelita's hand slip into his. A moment later, his stomach was left behind as they were jerked forward, and he dropped to his knees, letting go of Aelita's hand and covering his mouth with both of his. Several minutes seemed to pass, and their movement finally slowed, finally coming to a stop after spinning around and around at about a million miles an hour.

The white field lifted, and Cameron remained on his knees, gagging and retching slightly, thankful that he couldn't vomit on Lyoko. His stomach slowly caught up with them, and he pushed himself to his feet, "That was . . . unpleasant."

Aelita raised an eyebrow, "I thought you liked roller coasters?"

Cameron smiled wryly and chuckled, "Don't quote me at me! That was way worse than what I was doing."

Aelita looked around, "Do you know where we are? I've never seen anywhere like this before."

Cameron glanced around as well, "Neither have I, which tells me that we probably shouldn't go anywhere."

The dome around them stopped spinning, and a shaft of light descended, making a hallway. The two of them shared a glance, and Cameron smirked, "Race you."

Aelita pretended to consider for a moment, then bolted for the hallway before he could react. He laughed and sprinted to catch up, reaching her at the end of the hallway before the wall opened up to reveal a long set of stairs leading slightly down. They ran down the hallway, and Cameron's nerves went on edge as they entered a room bigger than any he'd ever seen. He reached into his pouch and felt around for his coin, and his face went pale as he realized he'd dropped it when the field of white had dropped over his vision. He turned back towards the hallway they'd come down, but his eyes went wide and he backed up, "Aelita, we shouldn't have come here."

A pair of giant slug . . . things, blocked the route back. A glance around the room showed another four crawling out of the blue walls and surrounding them.

Aelita glanced at him, "Can't you just shoot them?"

Cameron nodded towards the pouch, and turned it inside out to show its emptiness, "'fraid I dropped my coin when we were picked up. I've got no weapons. Even if I did, Six against two isn't good odds when I have to defend you as well."

Aelita looked back towards the encroaching slugs, "Then what do we do?"

The slugs crawled forwards on all sides, and Cameron glanced to Aelita, "We go out on a limb. Take a seat, as close to me as you possibly can." He sat down himself, crossing his legs and setting his hands to his knees. The slugs looked at each other, probably not certain what he had in mind. He was dimly aware of Aelita sitting back to back with him, and his brow furrowed. "Guardian." He muttered, and the silver aura sprang up around his body. After a long moment of concentration, the aura shifted, then leached from his body and into the floor. From there, it slowly rose up to enclose the two teenagers in a dome of silver light, blocking out the outside world. Cameron let out a tired sigh, "That should protect us long enough for the others to get here. I haven't tried stretching it out that far before, so we're lucky it worked." He let his head fall back just as Aelita did the same, and the two of them let out a startled "Ow!" as their heads smacked against each other. Cameron took a moment to regain his concentration when the dome around them flickered, then rubbed the back of his head, "Sorry about that. My bad."

Aelita smiled and slid down a little, letting her head fall against his back as she looked through the semitransparent silver dome, "Its okay. It was my fault as well." She sighed, "We wouldn't be in this situation if not for me."  
Cameron laughed softly, "Oh it isn't your fault, blame Sissi for being Sissi and us for not being there when we should have." He looked out through the dome, "Jeremie? Are you there yet?"

For a moment, there was nothing, then, a slightly muffled and staticy reply came through the dome, "I can h-r you -ust fine. W-'s wrong? I can- see y- an-ere."

Cameron frowned, and he twisted around to glance at Aelita, "Did you understand what he was saying?"

Aelita nodded, "Some of it. So it was all messed up for you too?"

Cameron nodded, "Yeah. It must be the dome interfering with the communications." He raised his voice, "Jeremie! You might be able to see some sort of weird dome thing on your screens, can you see it?"

"Yeah, - can see -."

Cameron nodded, "Good, that's where we are. Have you sent the cavalry yet?"

"The-e on the- way."

Before Cameron could respond, a volley of lasers slammed into the dome surrounding them. One side of Cameron's mouth rose in a smirk as the slugs continued firing ineffectively, "Go ahead and shoot all you want you big creepy-crawlies. You can't get in here that easily."

The barrage of lasers suddenly stopped, and the Slugs outside began to withdraw as something new walked - no, _floated_ - into the room.

Cameron raised an eyebrow as the jellyfish approached, "I'm not really in the mood for seafood. Are you Aelita?"

The girl had her knees drawn up to her chest, and she shook her head. Cameron smiled as he glanced at her, _She looks a lot like Taelia when she does that. _He shook his head to focus on the dome as the jellyfish approached, and he frowned, "They've already seen that they can't blast their way through, which Xana should have already known from previous encounters, so what does squidward have up his tentacles?"

'Squidward' rose up above the dome, then moved forwards and floated down to rest on top of it. Its tentacles wrapped loosely around the silver sphere, and then began to pulse with light. With each pulse, the dome flickered slightly, and they could hear Jeremie's panicked voice yelling at the others to hurry up. The dome began to dim slightly, and Cameron glared at the outside world, "Oh no you don't Xana."

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, providing power to reinforce the dome. Time ticked by, and Cameron started to feel the strain as the jellyfish continued to drain the power from the dome as quickly as he replenished it. Finally, he ran out of energy, and the dome shattered into billions of particles of light, gently floating to the ground as Cameron swayed, then slumped, sprawling out on his side. The jellyfish looped a tentacle around his ankle and flung him to the far side of the room, and the monsters turned their attention away from him as he fell to the ground near the entrance.

A long moment passed, and three pairs of feet flashed by his vision. Yumi and Odd targeted the slugs while Ulrich ran for the monster holding Aelita, cutting through its tentacles and driving it away from the girl. Jeremie said something that Cameron couldn't understand, and his head lolled to the side as darkness claimed his vision.

()()()()

"Cameron! Wake up already will you!"

Cameron's eyes cracked open, and four relieved faces let out sighs in front of him. Ulrich helped him to his feet, "You had us worried there for a minute buddy. You feeling okay?"

Cameron grinned ruefully, "Yeah, I'll be fine. Just used up way too much energy trying to keep Guardian going long enough for you guys to get here." He stumbled slightly, then sat down hard, "Speaking of which, what took you guys so long?"

Odd shrugged, "We didn't realize you guys were gone until science class, and Jeremie, Ulrich and I were held up a bit trying to get out because your message set Jeremie's phone off and Ms. Hertz heard it. Yumi was at the pool, and she beat us here, but without knowing how to virtualize herself, she couldn't do anything."

Aelita looked down, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have gone back on my own like that, I messed everything up for you guys."

Yumi shook her head, "Hey, we're all friends, if one of us needs some help, then we all do our best to provide that help. It's just how we humans are."

Cameron nodded, then checked his pouch again, "By the way, did anyone grab my bow? It should have been on the edge of the sector where . . . whatever the heck was that grabbed us did so."

Odd nodded, "I flipped it about a million times too, do you know which side turns into which weapon?"

Cameron shrugged, "No clue, I never have time to check. It's always turning into something six or seven feet tall when I catch it."

Jeremie's voice echoed over the speakers, "Well, if you guys are finished, maybe we should get back before we're missed? Someone will check the infirmary for me eventually, and then they'll wonder where Odd and Ulrich went. In fact, Cameron and Aelita are the only ones excused from class."

Cameron frowned, "Say what now? When did I get excused?"

"When we told Ms. Hertz that you were probably out looking for Aelita, after Sissi let everyone know how the beloved daughter of the principal had treated the new girl." Odd shrugged, "It was pretty easy to convince Ms. Hertz to give the two of you passes until further notice."  
Cameron raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

Ulrich shook his head, "No. But we managed, eventually."

()()()()

Cameron sat back against the wall, his hands linked behind his head. Aelita sat next to him, with Odd on her far side as Yumi and Ulrich perched on Jeremie's bed. Jeremie himself was sitting on his computer chair, arms folded over the back and his head resting on them. Odd was in the midst of describing their epic journey, "You should have seen it Jeremie. There were all these creepy things around the room, Cameron was unconscious, so he wasn't much help, and in the middle of the room there was a giant squid holding Aelita!"

Kiwi growled as Aelita rubbed her temples, "Can you imagine that thing was stealing my memory?"

Jeremie shrugged, "Well, Xana wants to get something out of you, that's pretty clear. The question is; what is it?"

Ulrich grinned, "I can't wait to go back to the Fifth Sector. There's so much to explore there!"

Cameron raised a hand, "I object your honor, the trip alone is enough to deter me, not to mention that the squid thing could drain my until-now invulnerable Guardian Aura as easily as Odd drains a soda. I would rather not risk it."

Yumi shrugged, "I'll go with you Ulrich. It'll be totally awesome."

Jeremie raised both of his hands to cut them off there, "Not so fast! I have to study it first, or else it's way too dangerous. For now, it's uncharted territory."

Aelita spoke up, "Um, you guys aren't angry at me for going to Lyoko by myself, are you? I don't know what got into me, I just needed to-"

Jeremie stopped her with a raised hand, "You don't have to explain Aelita. We understand, and we're not angry at all."

Cameron nodded, "If anything, it's our fault for not being there for you when you needed us. We shouldn't have left you behind the way we did." He set a hand on her shoulder, "We'll spend more time together from now on. You might just get sick of me!"

Odd raised a determined fist, "Yeah! And I'll teach you plenty of ways to tell Sissi to go to -"

"Odd!"

He was cut off by the girl in question, who pointed at Kiwi, "Do you know what you're little mutt did in the shower?" Her gaze fell on Aelita as Odd's teeth ground together, "Oh, so you finally found Mrs. Einstein."  
Ulrich glared at her, "Yeah, while you were taking your third shower of the day."

Sissi flipped her hair, "Well you know Ulrich dear, a beautiful flower like me needs to be watered often."

Half a dozen sharp retorts instantly sprang to Cameron's mind, and Odd started to get up to tell Sissi off, but Aelita beat him to it, twirling a lock of hair around her finger, "You're right Sissi! You never know, one of these days you might even sprout a brain!"

The group laughed as Sissi turned purple and stormed off, and Cameron gave his cousin a high five, "I think you should give Odd and me lessons Aelita."

Yumi grinned, "She sure learns fast!"

**End of Chapter Two**

**I hope you guys like it! Feel free to leave a review with your thoughts, regardless of what they may be!**

**Thank you to I Heart Lyoko, BreadLoaf, and Michael for leaving the kind reviews you did!**

**Keep Writing, Keep Rocking!**

**Undeadmonkey8**


	3. Exploration

**I do not own Code Lyoko**

**Code: Memories**

**Chapter Three**

**Exploration**

Cameron dove forward under a laser blast and threw himself into the air as he finished the following roll. The OverRide zipped underneath him as he fell, and he snatched his bow from where is was slung across his shoulder, drawing and firing in one smooth motion. The Kankrelat he'd been aiming at exploded as Yumi's fan beat his arrow to it, and he frowned, "No fair! That one was mine!"

Yumi snatched her fan from the air and laughed, "Got to be quicker next time Cameron! All's fair in War!"

Odd grinned as he shot past them, shooting down another couple Kankrelats, "Don't let Xana hear you say that Yumi! He might take you seriously!"

"Oh will you guys take things seriously?" A yellow blur shot past them, and a moment later the remaining Kankrelats blew up. Ulrich sheathed his sword as he left his SuperSprint, and he grinned at them, "If you want to keep up with my tally, you really should focus more. I've got six. Pretty sure I win."

Cameron groaned, "If Yumi hadn't stolen that last one from me, I would have tied with you."

Jeremie's sigh was audible through the speakers, "Guys, as long as Aelita gets to the tower, does it really matter who destroyed the most monsters?"

"Yes!" Came the simultaneous response from all four fighters.

Aelita laughed as she walked by them to enter the tower, "You should know by now that trying to talk them out of it is pointless Jeremie. They'll stop comparing scores when Armageddon is on the horizon."

With that, the girl slipped into the tower. A moment later, the red mist surrounding it turned blue, and Jeremie's voice echoed over the sector once more, "Return to the Past now!"

And the world faded away.

()()()()

Cameron stepped out of the scanner and headed over to the elevator with the other boys as the scanners closed again to materialize Aelita and Yumi. As the girls stepped into the elevator with them, he elbowed the button to lift them to the scanners. Jeremie was tapping on his chin when they arrived, and the group made its way over to him. Ulrich let out a long-suffering sigh, "Activated tower, Lyoko battles, danger, aren't you guys starting to get sick of all this?"

"No." Came the unanimous response from five other mouths.

Ulrich sighed again, "Well I am, sometimes I really wish that we were done with Xana."

Odd frowned, "I think you missed an episode Ulrich. You know, the one where Xana linked himself to Aelita? Bye-bye Xana means bye-bye Aelita!"

Jeremie frowned, "The problem is that I can't seem to find an antivirus to disconnect them."

Aelita looked up suddenly, "Hey, I have an idea, why don't we go back to that fifth sector we discovered a couple weeks back? It might have some answers for us."

"Oh hell no." Cameron cleared his throat, "Pardon the profanity. I am _not_ going back there to squidward and the sea slugs. The Scyphozoa drained my guardian aura like it wasn't even there, threw me across a room like a rag doll, and proceeded to drain your memories for Xana knows what. It's way too dangerous."

Jeremie nodded, "I agree, we have no idea what's in there waiting for us."

Odd laughed and began to count things off on his hand, "Sure we do! Creepy monsters, super-dangerous traps, and like Cameron said, the Scyphozoa that wants to brainwash Aelita."

The pink haired girl nodded, "Yeah, but what if there's something else there? Something like information about Xana."

That thought stalled every thought in the group member's heads, and Cameron's protests died unspoken. The six teens were silent for quite some time, before Ulrich finally spoke up, "You're right, it's a good idea. All four of us will go, nothing Xana's ever thrown our way has ever stopped us before."

Aelita frowned, "You mean all five of us, I want to go too! I have to go!"

Jeremie jumped down from his chair, shaking his head, "No way! Not as long as that Scyphozoa slinking around trying to steal your memories."

Aelita frowned, and Cameron took a cautious step back as he sensed a rise in tension, and a possible lover's quarrel, "What if there's a tower to deactivate, hmm Jeremie?" Aelita set her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes slightly, as if _daring_ him to talk back, "I _have _to be there."

Jeremie struggled to find words to dissuade her, but Odd set a hand on her shoulder, "Oh come on Einstein, with four top-notch guards like us, what could possible happen? We'll keep her real safe, I promise. I'll even be careful!"

Cameron raised an eyebrow, "That last bit doesn't make me feel comfortable with this Odd, but Aelita's right. If Xana pulls a tower out of his sleeve, then we'll need Aelita there to shut it down."

Jeremie sighed, "Alright, alright. Tomorrow night, it's exploration!"

The group made their way out of the Factory, and Yumi let out a sharp gasp when she saw how late it was, "Oh no! I'm so late, my parents are going to be furious!" She started to run down the bridge, "bye guys!"

Ulrich blinked, "Night Yumi."

Cameron laughed and patted his shoulder, "Were you planning on walking her home?" He ducked under the half-hearted swing that Ulrich took at him, then straightened and stretched, covering a yawn, "Well, we should get back as well. GI Jim will only be oblivious for so long."

Odd nodded, "Plus, if we don't get enough sleep, we might not wake up in time for breakfast! And it's waffles tomorrow!"

()()()()

Cameron and Odd attacked the plates of food in front of them like people possessed. The waffles seemed to vanish instantly, and Ulrich pushed his plate away from him. Cameron swallowed his current bite and glanced at the plate curiously, "You not hungry Ulrich?"

The german boy shook his head, "Not after seeing you and Odd go at it like that I'm not!"

Odd and Cameron exchanged glances, shrugged, and Cameron slid Ulrich's plate between them. Ulrich stood and walked away from the table as the other two boys attacked his plate with the same fervor with which they'd attacked their own.

A few minutes past, and the two realized the table was full of empty plates. Cameron leaned back and patted his stomach contentedly, "I could go for fifths. How about you Odd?"

Odd stretched, "Sounds good to me."

Before the two boys could follow that plan, their phones rang, and Cameron pulled his out. His brow furrowed, "Oh . . . well that's not good."

Odd glanced up from where he was searching his bag for his phone, "What's up?"

Cameron set his phone on the table and slid it across, "Looks like Yumi finally crossed a line. She's on her way to school, we should go meet her with the rest of the gang."

Odd nodded, and the two of them hurried from the cafeteria, dashing around the corner to meet the rest of the gang at the gate.

The five of them hung back as they saw Yumi's parents walking her to school, and Cameron winced, "Sissi's gonna love seeing this. What is it about parents that make them such a drag? Some days it's definitely good to be an orphan."

Ulrich glanced at him, "I can agree with that."

Yumi walked up to them, her face beet red, "Hey guys, sorry you had to see that."

Cameron shook his head, "You shouldn't be. We're sorry that Sissi saw it. Want me to go hit her for you?"

Odd set a hand on his shoulder, "As much as I'd like to let that happen Cameron, that would get you in more trouble than Yumi's in."

Cameron chuckled softly as Ulrich and Yumi led the way to the vending machines, "It would almost be worth it."

Yumi was talking to the other three, and Cameron and Odd hurried to catch up. They arrived at the vending machines in time for Yumi to get a hot chocolate and say, "The worst thing is, I _hate_ lying to them."

Odd jumped in immediately, "Just explain to them that we're fighting in a virtual world against a demonic virus bent on world domination. That oughta reassure them."

Yumi frowned and took her drink, "Dork."

Cameron leaned against the door opposite the others as Jeremie sighed, "You need to regain their trust before something like this happens again. Maybe it would be a good idea to keep you away from Lyoko for a while."

Yumi whirled, spilling part of her drink, and Cameron hissed as a few drops splashed against his skin. The raven-haired girl looked frantic, "But what about exploring sector five? It's supposed to be tonight, right?"

Ulrich raised a hand, "Don't worry about it Yumi, Jeremie will give you a play-by-play update."

The genius nodded, "Promise."

Yumi sighed and nodded, then her head jerked up as the bell rang, almost spilling more of her drink.

Jeremie started towards the school, "Everyone ready for classes? No one forgot our marine biology test today, right?"

Odd shook his head, "I don't forget things like that. I even studied! Listen to this; Fish are remarkably well adapted to water, what's more they can swim."

Jeremie shook his head, "You're so lame."

The others headed to class, and Cameron set a hand on Aelita's arm, "You okay Aelita? You've been awfully quiet this morning."

The girl was startled out of her reverie, and she smiled, "Sorry, I've just been thinking about Sector Five, and everything it could show us."

Cameron chuckled, "Well, don't get your hopes up until there's a good reason for them to be that high."

Aelita nodded, "You're right, let's get to class."

()()()()

After a test seemingly designed for college graduates, a lunch at which even Cameron agreed that Odd had eaten too much, a few more hours of class, and seeing Yumi off at the gate, the gang found themselves in the Factory, quivering with anticipation.

Jeremie sat in his computer chair, fingers steepled in front of him as he looked at the rest of the group, "Alright, so here's the plan. I'll drop you guys off in the forest sector, materialize your vehicles, and you'll head for the edge of the sector. Once you're there, I'll enter the code Scipio, and the transporter should take you to Sector Five. As soon as you arrive, and the wall is open, head through, and we'll figure out whatever secrets the sector is hiding. Then I'll bring you guys back, sound simple?"

Cameron faked a snore, then jerked his chin up so it was no longer touching his chest, "Sorry, what? Could you go over that again Jeremie?"

The boy sighed, and turned to the computer, "Oh just get to the scanners."

Cameron made a two-fingered salute, "Okey-dokey sir."

The group made their way into the elevator, and the boys stepped into scanners, while Aelita waited in the center of the room, "They're all set Jeremie."

Cameron shut his eyes and let his head fall slightly forwards as the doors closed, felt the scanner tug at his consciousness, and let it pull him into Lyoko.

The digital landscape appeared beneath him, and Cameron landed in a crouch to absorb the impact. Aelita landed behind him as he straightened up, and he stepped forwards onto the OverRide as Jeremie materialized it. He turned it as the magnetic field generated inside it anchored his feet, and extended a hand to Aelita, "Need a ride princess?"

Aelita accepted the hand and jumped up behind him, "If you insis-ah!"

The OverRide shot forward between the trees before she was fully anchored to the vehicle, and the grip she administered to his shoulders made him groan in pain, "Okay, okay, sorry." He slowed the vehicle to a more moderate pace, and she loosened the bone-crushing grip, "Better?"

Aelita nodded, "better."

Odd shot by them, "Bet you can't keep up with me Cameron!"

Aelita gave him a 'don't you dare' look, but he just shrugged apologetically, "Better hold on tight princess."

Her arms latched around his waist as he leaned forwards slightly, urging his vehicle after Odd. The two boys weaved between the trees, racing for the edge of the sector as Ulrich drove along the path, shouting at them. Cameron and Odd swept in on opposite sides of the samurai boy, and Cameron grinned, "What was that Ulrich? Couldn't hear you!"

Ulrich glared at him, "You guys promised to be careful!"

Cameron shrugged, "As I recall, I _never_ made such a promise. Odd may have, but I didn't."

Odd spread his arms slightly, "And we're not in Sector Five yet, so why do I need to be careful? We know this area perfectly well."

Ulrich rolled his eyes, "So you'll calm down when we get to Sector Five? Great, that's a relief."

Cameron sighed, "Oh come on Ulrich, we're the only people to ever have a virtual world all to themselves, can't you lighten up a bit?"

"When Xana's gone, sure. I'll even buy you a drink."

Cameron grinned, "I'll hold you to that then."

The group wheeled in at the peninsula jutting out of the sector, and stepped off of their vehicles. Cameron raised a tentative hand, "Uh, Jeremie, I don't suppose you could slow the transport down any?"

Jeremie's snicker was audible through the speakers, "Afraid not Cameron. You'll just have to deal with it."

Cameron groaned as the white orb appeared over the edge and swung around them. He felt the unnerving sensation of leaving his stomach behind and closed his eyes to wait out the ride.

The orb eventually stopped, and Cameron dropped to his knees, wrapping his arms around his stomach. Aelita helped him back to his feet, and Odd looked at him sympathetically while Ulrich laughed at them. Cameron glared at the other brunett, "Keep laughing and I'll hold you over the edge of the gymnasium rock climbing walls."

Ulrich promptly shut up, and frowned slightly, "Making fun of my vertigo isn't nice. And besides, you have the exact same problem with heights that I do, could you even get to the top of that wall?"

". . . oh shut up." Cameron couldn't come up with anything else to say, so he turned to the edge of the room, crossing his arms.

Aelita turned to the edge of the room, "The wall is about to open. You guys ready?"

The three boys turned to face the same direction she did, and Odd grinned, jumping up and down and stretching out before the four of them ran down the hallway as it opened up. The four of them raced through the blue corridor, and a cavernous room met their eyes as they exited. Cameron let out a soft 'whoa' and came to a stop, "Jeremie are you seeing this?"

"Sort of, what's it like?"

Cameron closed his eyes for a moment and pressed his eyelids with a pair of fingers. He felt a slight sting, and opened his eyes again, "Like this."

A whistle came over the speakers, and Jeremie took a moment to respond, "So, my hypothesis was correct. The core room _does _change every time you guys come in. Interesting. Wait, huh?" Jeremie paused for a moment, "Guys, a countdown of some sort just started up. I'm not sure what it means, but I doubt anything good! You should probably get out of there quick."

"Roger that!"

The group took off, racing for the nearest corridor. After a short hallway, they came into another large room with a square missing from the floor, and a ledge running along the walls. The group ran around the edge, passed the first door, and then Aelita stopped, returning to the passage, "This way."

The three boys started after her, and Cameron raised a hand, "Aelita, you shouldn't-" He was cut off as Aelita flew back out of the hallway, energy crackling around her chest, " . . . go first." Cameron finished, helping her to her feet as Odd distracted the creeper down the hallway. Aelita put a hand to her chest where the laser had hit her, and Cameron frowned, "Are you okay?" He asked, concern lining his features.

Aelita nodded, "I think so."

"I wouldn't say that!" Jeremie's voice cracked over the speakers, "You just lost forty life points Aelita! Maybe it would be a good idea for one of the others to go first now?"

Odd yelped as a laser hit the wall right in front of him, and he pulled back around the corner. Ulrich stuck his head around the corner, then whipped out his sword, sending the laser back at the creeper. He put his saber away and waved, "All clear."

Jeremie spoke again as they made their way down the hallway into a room looking exactly the same as the last one, "Guys, you're in a labyrinth. Take a left at every corridor, and mark it. If it's already marked, go right!"

Ulrich left a deep gouge in the wall as they turned a corner, "Got it Jeremie!"

Before long, they were out of the maze, and Cameron heaved a sigh of relief, "I thought we were never getting out of the-"

A volley of lasers slammed into him and the boy flew to the side with a yelp before dissolving into blue particles.

()()()()

_Where am I?_

Cameron's eyes cracked open, and he blinked before opening them fully. He was floating in a cloudy . . . something, it was almost like the sky just before sunset. Orange-white clouds drifted past, obscuring his vision. The boy frowned, _Why didn't I return to Earth? Shouldn't I have just reappeared in the scanners? What's going on here?_

A wireframe appeared off to his left a bit, and blue particles swarmed together to create Odd. A moment passed, and another formed Ulrich to his right. Cameron's eyes widened, _Aelita is alone on Lyoko? Alone in __**Sector Five?!**_

Odd's eyes fluttered open, and the cat boy looked around desperately, then swiped at the air with his claws. His mouth opened and closed several times, but no sound came out, and the boy's eyes widened hopelessly. Cameron smiled sadly at him, _Poor Odd. If there's no way back from Sector Five, then at least we won't be alone for eternity._ He thought about that last statement, _Still, I would have preferred to be stuck with a different pair of people, given the choice._

"_Hey! You insulting me Cameron!"_

Cameron's eyes widened as he heard Odd's voice in his head, and he placed a hand to his temple, _okay . . . that's creepy. REALLY don't want to be mentally linked to Odd and Ulrich for the rest of eternity._

"_There could be worse things. It could be Sissi."_

Cameron shuddered, _Fair point._

"_What's going on? Why didn't I show up back in the scanners?"_

Cameron and Odd looked over at Ulrich, who was just waking up. Cameron shrugged slightly, "_Same reason we didn't show up in the scanners I guess. Sector Five must be different."_

Ulrich's eyes widened, "_oh no. Oh heck no. Tell me you didn't just hear what I was thinking."_

Cameron nodded, "'_fraid so. Odd can hear it too."_

"_Hi Ulrich!"_

They could see, though not hear, Ulrich's groan, and Cameron laughed, "_Oh cheer up. Think of the upsides, like Odd said, you could be stuck here with Sissi."_

Ulrich's face went pale at that, and he rubbed his throat, "_Good point."_

Odd swung so that his back was facing 'down' and he was looking at where they thought the sky would be, "_So, how do we get back to Earth?" _The boy linked his hands behind his head, "_I mean, we can't stay here forever."_

Cameron grimaced, "_I suspect that Jeremie will have to find the right code to bring us back. Hopefully it doesn't change every time we go to Sector Five, but considering that everything else in that Blue h-" _Cameron caught himself, "_. . . hole, does, I don't have my hopes up."_

Ulrich frowned, "_Jeremie and Aelita are smart, they'll figure it out. Until then," _he started to move as if swimming, "_We should see if we can get anywhere on our own."_

Cameron and Odd stared blankly at him, "_You look ridiculous." _Cameron thought with a snicker.

Ulrich ceased his movements, "_Well do you have a better idea on how to move?"_

Cameron gave it a moment, then thought about moving 'up.' His body gently began to float in the direction he'd wanted, and he flashed a triumphant grin at Ulrich, "_You were saying? It's the same way that I make the OverRide move. Only mentally shifting direction instead of physically leaning."_

Ulrich glared at him for a moment, and then the other boys began drifting around as well. Cameron looked 'up' again, "_Race you guys to whatever is up there."_

Odd looked the same direction, "_How do you know anything is up there?"_

Cameron shrugged, "_I don't. But it's better than sticking around here when we can fly around to our hearts' content."_

"_What's going on here? Why did I show up here instead of in the scanners? And why are the guys here?!"_

Cameron looked back towards where he'd appeared as Yumi's voice echoed in his head, "_Oh, and because three-way telepathy between boys wasn't awkward enough, now it's four-way with a girl. If I get out of here with my sanity, I never want to go back to Sector Five. Ever." _Yumi looked around wildly, and Cameron waved slightly "_Up here."_

The girl looked up, and her face slacked with relief as she spotted the three boys, "_Did you guys start up there, or is there a secret to moving?"_

Odd shrugged, "_We'd tell you, but then it wouldn't be much of a secret now would it?"_

Cameron felt something tug at his mind apart from the other three, and the clouds started to fade, "_Guys, I think Jeremie's got us."_

Yumi nodded, "_Aelita found the materialization code just before I was devirtualized. Jeremie probably brought her in, so now he's going to be doing the same for you guys."_

Cameron gave her a slight wave, "_Well, we're just guinea pigs now, if it doesn't work for us and something goes wrong at least he'll be able to figure it out for you." _The world began to fade more, and Cameron thought, "_Say bye to Aelita and Jeremie for me if this doesn't go well, eh Yumi?"_

The world blacked out before he could see or hear her response.

()()()()

"Ulrich! Cameron! Odd! Say something guys!"

Something was yanking at Cameron's jacket, and he coughed violently, curling in on himself. He groaned as his body relaxed, "Something guys." Cameron's brown eyes flickered open, and he groaned again as pain wracked his body, before glaring up at the girl looking at him, "Okay . . . I'm gonna get this out of the way now. I told you so." His throat felt very dry, and his eyes screamed in protest at the brightly lit room.

Aelita's arm slid under his shoulders, and he whimpered slightly as she helped him to his feet, "I'm sorry Cameron, I really am."

The world was blurry, but he could see a pair of blonde blobs close together, probably Jeremie helping Odd to his feet. Cameron shook his head, then winced when it felt like being hit with a sledgehammer, "It's fine Aelita, you didn't know." He raised his voice slightly, "Odd. Ulrich. You okay?" He hissed as the louder pitch grated at his ears, but otherwise ignored it, waiting for the responses.

Odd's voice was weak, "Apart from feeling like I was used as a mining pick for diamonds, I'm okay."

Ulrich groaned, and Cameron could see him start to pick himself up out of the scanner, "Is this what it was like getting devirtualized with Xana's virus Cameron?"

Cameron smiled weakly, "This is worse. Sector Five sucks."

A pair of nods confirmed his statement, and Jeremie and Aelita helped them over to the Elevator. Aelita stayed in the Scanner room as the boys rose to the lab, and Jeremie crouched over them as they slumped against the walls, "I'm sorry about that guys, I really am. I had no idea it would be so hard on you."

Ulrich waved weakly, "You didn't know. Let's get Yumi back, and then get back to the dorms." The boy pushed himself to his feet, "Besides, it doesn't feel like this lasts any longer than a normal devirtualization. It just hurts a bit more."

Cameron felt his senses settle slightly, and the world came into focus as his ears stopped ringing. He let his head fall back against the elevator wall, "There's something to be thankful for at least." He pushed back against the wall, forcing himself to his feet before lending a hand to Odd. The three boys looked at Jeremie, "You should probably get Yumi back though. She's likely feeling very lonely right about now."

Jeremie nodded as the elevator doors slid open, and the other three boys exchanged glances as he moved to his chair. Odd was the first to speak, "All in favor of never speaking of the whole sharing thoughts ever again?"

Cameron and Ulrich nodded, "Yeah." The two boys said simultaneously.

"We'll just say that it was black for a while and then we showed up in the scanners. Sound good?" Cameron asked.

The others nodded, and the three boys stepped off of the elevator. Jeremie turned to look, "Alright, I've entered the materialization code for Yumi, she should be showing up any minute now."

The genius started to jump out of the chair, but Cameron raised a hand, "No offense Einstein, but I'm fairly sure that Yumi would prefer it if Ulrich were the one to greet her." He glanced over at the boy, "Right Ulrich?"

Odd clapped his hands together, "I'm sure Cameron's right Ulrich! Hop on back in the elevator, we'll wait for you."

Ulrich grumbled, but did as suggested. Jeremie looked to the two still in the room, "So what did it feel like? What happened after you were devirtualized?"

Cameron shrugged, "Everything went black. Then we woke up in the scanners in pain. Lots of pain."

Odd nodded, "Same for me." He jumped onto the holosphere dome, and crossed his arms on his knees, "I hope we haven't been gone past Jim's curfew check."

Jeremie glanced at his watch, "No, that shouldn't happen for another half an hour. We should have plenty of time to get back."

"And Yumi?" Cameron asked, "What about her? What if her parents checked her room after she left?"

Jeremie swallowed slightly, "Then we'll just have to launch a return to the past. Shouldn't be too hard."

The elevator doors opened, and Yumi smiled at them, "Hey guys. Everyone okay?"

Odd nodded, "Good to go and get back to the school! I have a date with my pillow."

Cameron chuckled, "I'm good too. You have the biggest problem, you've gotta sneak past your parents again."

Yumi shrugged, "I left my window open this time. I'll just climb up and go through it. No more front doors for me thanks very much."

The three boys moved into the elevator, and Aelita hit the button. Everyone was silent on the ride up, the only sound being the hum of the elevator.

At least, until the door started to open.

"Kiwi?!" Odd exclaimed as his dog nosed under the door and leapt at him. Everyone else exchanged glances as the door seemed to creak open in slow motion.

_If Kiwi's here, then that means . . . oh, oh we're screwed._

The door opened fully, and Cameron gulped as he saw who was waiting for them on the other side. The group exchange another set of glances, then nodded slightly.

Principal Delmas stepped forward, "What on Earth is going on here? What are you all doing in this old factory at this time of-"

He was cut off by five kids darting past him, and Jeremie punching the button to close the elevator again. Cameron grinned, realizing that he may never have another chance like this, and stopped in front of Sissi, "Hey, Sissi, you know there's a new movie out, interested?"

The girl's face lit up, "You want to see a movie with me? What's it called?"

Cameron grinned, "Lights out!"

His fist slammed against Sissi's jaw, and the girl fell back, disoriented. Cameron cackled before ducking under Delmas' outstretched arm and spinning around behind the man. He bolted for the ropes leading to the upper ledge of the factory, and froze as a familiar sensation swept over him. Cameron turned to see everyone but the gang frozen midstep, or in Sissi's case, massaging her jaw. A dome of light washed over him, and he smiled, thinking of what Jeremie would be saying about now.

"_Return to the Past now!"_

()()()()

Cameron leaned back against a tree as Yumi walked up with a smile on her face. Her parents were walking back down the street, talking with each other, and Ulrich frowned, "Well that seems to have worked. What did you tell them?"

Yumi blushed slightly, "The truth."

Cameron leaned forward, studying her face, "The truth of . . ."

The blush left Yumi's face as quickly as it had come, and she playfully swatted his head, "Oh be quiet. Dork."

**End of Chapter Three**

**So, did you guys like it? Hate it? Please review!**

**I'm sorry it took this long to update, but I sadly don't have quite as much free time as I was expecting. A job and summer homework (blech) are the main causes, so this is probably the timeframe of updates the Code: Memories will be seeing.**

**Anyway, I hope you guys liked it!**

**Keep Writing, (and reading!) Keep Rocking!  
Undeadmonkey8**


	4. Note of Hiatus

**Hi guys . . .**

**No chapter is gonna be found here, so sorry that I got all your hopes up. I'm going through some rough times in real life right now, so until further notice all of my stories are going on an extended hiatus. No, I don't know when it will end, no I don't want anyone leaving a review or replying or sending me a message after reading this chapter telling me to 'stay strong' or 'hope things get better.' I don't want anyone's sympathy, this is just to let you all know why you won't be seeing any updates from me for a while.**

**To all of you who thought that my work was worthy of following and reviewing, I'm truly sorry that I've let you guys down like this, but I just can't take the luxury of living in anywhere but the real world until I have all of this sorted out. You have all been truly great people, thank you for your support, and I'm sorry that I'm letting you all down.**

**Goodbye for now. I plan to come back sooner or later, just don't know when yet.**

**Undeadmonkey8**


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